Development of terminal, particularly terminal to be mounted in automobiles, has been remarkable. The equipment is becoming increasingly higher in performance along with the increasing sophistication of network communications. For example, high performance automobile mounted terminal equipped with audio and visual functions such as navigation and CD, MD, DVD, MP3, and other music files, broadcast reception functions such as TV, FM•AM/FM multiplex/FM-VICS, and sound field and tone adjustment functions such as DSP and equalizers are already commercially available.
The present invention is aimed at for example the terminal as described above and among them especially notes the “audio and visual functions” among the above various types of optional functions.
The “audio and visual functions” are realized linked with a memory built into the terminal such as a HDD (hard disk drive). “Music information” can be recorded or previously recorded in this memory. Here, “music information” means information of a music database.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the information covered by the present invention.
In the figure, only a recording medium (for example a CD) 1, a display unit 2, and a memory (for example HDD) 3 in a terminal 30 are taken out and diagrammatically drawn.
This memory 3, for example, stores track data and information of an approximately 230,000 track music database. This music database includes identifying information of the recording media (for example TOC) and music menu information corresponding to the identifying information such as title names, album names, track names, artist names, and genres. Accordingly, the equipment 30 easy realizes a so-called auto titling function using this music database information.
Namely, in the equipment 30, the music database information is automatically recorded when recording music on a music recording medium (for example CD) in the memory 3. For this reason, the convenience of enabling the content of the music library to be prepared in the memory 3 without requiring troublesome title input can be provided to the user of the equipment 30.
[1], [2], and [3] in the figure represent an example of the process of the above auto titling function in three steps.
In [1], when the recording medium 1 from which the user desires to record is inserted into slot (not illustrated) of the equipment 30, in [2], on the basis of the identifying information stored in the recording medium 1, for example, the TOC (Table Of Contents) information, the music menu information is searched for from the above music database in the memory 3. Note that this TOC information usually includes the total performance time, the number of recorded tracks, and their recorded positions.
In [3], when the search turns up music menu information matching the identifying information, the title name can be extracted and that title name added to the track data recorded from the recording media 1 in the above [1]. This completes the auto titling process.
In this way, the terminal 30 can also provide the service of freedom from troublesome title input. However, there are also inconvenient points. These are the point that when the track data and music database information are previously recorded, after the terminal 30 is mounted in a vehicle, upgrading, that is, updating, of the built-in memory 3 in the terminal 30 is not possible, and the point that when track data can be additionally recorded, additional recording is troublesome. That is, when the track data and the music data are previously recorded, the memory 3 cannot be input with titles and input with track data of recording media of new music put on sale thereafter. Alternatively, it cannot be input with titles and input with track data of recording media of revivals which become popular thereafter. Also, when track data can be additionally recorded, the user must go to a store selling the recording medium or a rental shop, purchase or rent there the medium, and then perform recording work.
Accordingly, a user of this terminal would find it extremely convenient if subsequent addition to or other updating of music information could be simply and easily, at low cost, carried out.
A conventional technique which can deal with this will be explained below.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a conventional technique for updating music information (first example).
According to the updating technique according to this conventional first example,
[1] the user of the terminal 30 accesses a recording medium music information update site 5 on the Internet from his personal computer 6.
[2] On the site 5, the user extracts parts of the title database and track database which he has not yet acquired, that is, the difference from his already acquired title database and track database, and downloads the extracted difference in title database and difference in track database to his personal computer 6.
[3] The user transfers the difference in title database and the difference in track database downloaded into the personal computer 6 to a carrying medium 7. The user brings the carrying medium 7 to the terminal 30 and installs the difference in title database and difference in track database into the memory 3. This carrying medium 7 is for example a Memory Stick®.
Here, the titles of new recording media such as new music and the titles of the tracks recorded on the recording media and the tracks themselves are recorded in the memory 3 for updating.
According to the updating technique according to a conventional second example, the user directly connects to a center managing the music/track database by a communication function unit and acquires the difference in title database and difference in track database. This communication function unit is for example a portable telephone directly connected to the terminal 30.
Note that, as known art relating to the present invention, there are the following Patent Documents 1 and 2. However, as will be apparent from the explanation given later, both known arts are different from the music information updating system of the present invention comprising a “broadcasting apparatus having a broadcasting side memory function unit for storing music information including at least one of track data and music database information and a transmission function unit for broadcasting the music information on a predetermined broadcast channel and
terminal having a reception function unit for receiving a broadcast wave of the above-described predetermined broadcast channel, an extraction function unit for extracting the above-described music information from the received broadcast wave, and an update function unit for updating the music information in the reception side memory function unit with the extracted music information”.
Note that the system according to Patent Document 1 uses a tuner receiving an FM multiplex broadcast to demodulate the information concerning the music distribution from an FM signal and transmit the data to the HDD recorder equipped with a communication function. This HDD recorder equipped with a communication function activates software connected to the network on the basis of the data and connects to the URL of a download server distributing the music data included in the data. Due to this, the system receives the download of the music data.
Also, the apparatus of Patent Document 2 is an automobile mounted information terminal for receiving broadcasts of text information transmitted from an information center such as event information concerning events held at amusement facilities and specific areas and information changing day by day such as weather forecasts.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-298430
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-30524